Happy Chinese New Year!

Dumplings

Sesame Chicken

Garrett and I love Chinese food, so we didn't want to pass up the opportunity to make a special meal for the holiday! Usually we make sushi and fried rice (Garrett makes the BEST fried rice!) but this year we tried something a little different - Pork & Ginger Pot Stickers (dumplings) and Sesame Chicken and rice. We also made some steamed Chinese vegetables, but they were steaming when Garrett took the pictures. The Pot Stickers were GREAT! I was a little bit nervous making them, because I had to fry them with oil a little bit at first (I now try to avoid hot oil as much as possible) but it ended up being just fine. The Sesame Chicken wasn't as good... Garrett didn't particularly like the spiciness, and I wasn't a fan of the 5-Spice Chinese Seasoning that was in it (I didn't realize it had anise in it until after I put it in... Anise is a licorice-tasting spice, and I don't like licorice). But other than that, everything was great and we had fun making dinner together - it brought me back to the dating days! Ooh, and I got fortune cookies at the store for dessert, but I forgot to serve them! Oh well, we'll still eat them another time. I also forgot to have Garrett speak Chinese for me! Anyway, I really enjoy having Garrett help me in the kitchen, especially with the cleanup!

So, Happy Chinese New Year! It's the year of the rat, which must be some sort of good luck for me, since I was born in the year of the rat.Half of this symbol means "happiness". This symbol is "double happiness", which frequently represents marriage. :)